White whole-wheat bread: Is it good for me?

Recently at the grocery store, I saw a type of bread labeled "white whole-wheat" bread? How can it be both white and whole wheat?

- Ally / No state given

Mayo Clinic dietitian Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D., and colleagues answer select questions from readers.

Answer

White whole-wheat bread looks and tastes like white bread but has the same nutritional benefits as regular whole-wheat bread, also called whole-grain bread.

Government guidelines recommend that you eat at least three servings of whole grains a day. One way to get whole grains in your diet is to eat whole-wheat bread. Unfortunately, many people — especially children — don't like the taste or texture of regular whole-wheat bread. So, food companies have introduced white whole-wheat bread.

Regular white bread is made with refined grains — which go through a process that strips out certain parts of the grain. But white whole-wheat bread — like regular whole-wheat bread — is made with the whole grain.

The difference between white whole wheat and regular whole wheat is in the type of wheat used. Regular whole-wheat bread is made with red wheat, which is dark in color and has a slightly bitter taste. White whole-wheat bread is made with an albino variety of wheat, which is lighter in color and has a sweeter, milder flavor. To get a softer texture, the whole grains of albino wheat go through an extra processing procedure.

So how do you know if bread is whole grain? According to the Food and Drug Administration, whole-grain products must contain a least 51 percent whole grains by weight. This means "whole grain" should be first on the ingredient list. So check the ingredient list. If it doesn't say "whole grain" first, it isn't whole-grain bread.

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